Let’s hope the new #COVIDRelief package released Tuesday by Senate Majority Leader McConnell is just an opening bid, as it falls seriously short in key areas and reflects some dubious priorities.

It extends critical unemployment insurance benefits for only one month and then phases them out even as millions remain out of work.

It fails either to extend the federal evictions moratorium or to provide any rental assistance, which would set the stage for mass evictions starting in the weeks and months that follow.

It provides no new fiscal relief to help states and local governments deal with substantial revenue losses, except some education funding (most of which is only for schools that reopen in person despite the risks); this omission would lead to painful lay-offs & cuts in services.

It provides no funds for food assistance to struggling families, children, & others, even as it finds room for a 100% business-meals deduction, prioritizing the “three-martini lunch” for relatively affluent people not facing hard times over basic nutrition for those on the edge.